The Red Arrows made a flying visit to Dartmouth Golf and Country Club following their appearance at the Dartmouth Royal Regatta.
Dartmouth Golf & Country Club boasts 27 holes of golf in addition to a luxurious spa complex, 35-room hotel and a selection of sumptuous lodges. The eight-strong team spent the night at the resort after wowing thousands with their aerobatic display at the nearby festivities and took full advantage of the resort’s amenities including its spa and leisure facilities.
The Great North Museum this week made it into VisitEngland’s Top 20 free attractions in the country. And visitors to the North East have been voting with their feet with the museum also welcoming its one millionth visitor this week. Since opening in May 2009, the Museum has become the most popular visitor attraction in the region. Attracting 67,000 visitors in the first week and crashing through it its annual target of 300,000 visitors in less than three months.
In addition North East England is home to 414 amazing attractions that offer world class experiences ranging from culture to nature to history and heritage and learning. Some inspire, some educate, some amaze and some offer pure entertainment. Even better over half of these attractions are free. So if you are looking to get away for less this summer we have tracked down ten of the best free attractions in North East England.
Angel of the North, NewcastleGateshead
One of the most visible symbols of North East pride, the celebrated ‘Angel’, built from 200 tonnes of steel, was created by Antony Gormley OBE. It stands 20m high which is taller than four double-decker buses, has a 54m wing span and is seen by 33 million people every year. This magnificent icon was named as one of the Seven Wonders of Britain by the Sunday Times.
Durham Cathedral, Durham City
Magnificent World Heritage Site described by travel writer Bill Bryson as “the best cathedral on planet Earth”. Thought by many to be the finest example of Norman church architecture in England, with the tombs of St Cuthbert and The Venerable Bede, it is cherished not only for its architecture but also for its incomparable setting. In a nationwide BBC poll held in 2001 it was voted the nation’s best-loved building. Like Hadrian’s Wall and the Angel of the North, it is an icon of north-East England, its image is instantly recognisable to people who love this part of Britain.
The Sage Gateshead, NewcastleGateshead
The Sage Gateshead was designed by Lord Foster on a landmark waterfront site on the banks of the Tyne and houses two outstanding performance spaces. The spectacular Concourse has river views of the Tyne and Gateshead Millennium Bridges, BALTIC and the NewcastleGateshead Quays.
Officially England’s most tranquil place and the perfect escape for walkers and wildlife-watchers alike. The parks dramatic hills and sheltered valleys stretch from Hadrian’s Wall to the Cheviot Hills. To the North there are the breathtaking rolling moors and grasslands of the Cheviot Hills, with their ancient hillforts and pure rivers. In the centre is the Upper Coquet Valley with the landmark Simonside Hills and the beautiful villages of Harbottle and Holystone. To the West are the valleys of the North Tyne and Redesdale, wild and inspiring. Once home of the Border Reivers today the area is inhabited by red squirrels. In the South is the iconic ridge of the Whin Sill with Hadrian’s Wall striding along its crest.
Mima, Tees Valley
Middlesbrough’s Institute of Modern Art is a dramatic building set in the middle of the largest civic space in Europe. Exhibits over the summer will include a display of contemporary jewellery from mima’s own collection and the best of British sculpture.
Great North Museum, NewcastleGateshead
The new £26million museum include a large-scale, interactive model of Hadrian’s Wall, major displays showing the wonder and diversity of the animal and plant kingdoms, spectacular objects from the Ancient Greeks and mummies from Ancient Egypt, a planetarium and a life-size T-Rex dinosaur skeleton.
For more free museums in Tyne & Wear visit www.twmuseums.org.uk
North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
The North Pennines offers a variety of walking experiences in a nationally designated landscape full of character and features to enrich your journey. From the challenges of the open moorland landscape of the fells to the more intimate feel of the dales. If you’re into walking can’t afford to miss it.
BALTIC, NewcastleGateshead
Housed in a landmark industrial building on the south bank of the River Tyne in Gateshead, BALTIC is the biggest gallery of its kind in the world – presenting a dynamic, diverse and international programme of contemporary visual art. It provides an ever-changing calendar of exhibitions and activities that give a unique and compelling insight into contemporary artistic practice. BALTIC’S programme ranges from blockbuster exhibitions to innovative new work and projects created by artists working within the local community. Visitors can experience innovative and provocative new art, relax, have fun, learn and discover fresh ideas, and complete their visit with a relaxing coffee overlooking the magnificent quayside.
Hamsterley Forest, Durham Dales
A 5,000 acre mixed woodland that include a forest drive, woodland walks, cycle routes (hire available), picnic areas, adventure play area and permanent orienteering courses. There is also a visitor centre displaying exhibits on forest wildlife and forestry and a forest shop selling a range of gifts and souvenirs.
National Glass Centre, Sunderland
Housed in a spectacular glass and steel building situated on the north bank of the River Wear in Sunderland, the National Glass Centre is a unique cultural venue and visitor attraction. Vistors can enjoy a full range of exhibitions exploring ideas inspired by glass through exhibitions and galleries, workshops and activities. It is home to the UK’s largest art glass making facilities for kiln forming, stained glass, lampworking and hot and cold working.
Swinton Park has launched a new cookery and dining experience at its Cookery School, Sushi Dining. The event will be run by a Yorkshire sushi expert, Simon Phillips, who has many years experience making sushi both in the UK and in the Far East.
The event will be run in the Cookery School demonstration kitchen and starts with an introduction to Japanese food and a demonstration, also with some hands on opportunities for those wanting to try. This is then followed by a sushi dinner which is made to order for each guest at the demonstration table. The focus of the meal will be on sushi, but also with yakitori, Japanese salad and tempura on the menu along with sake tasting.
The Sushi Dinner costs £45 per person and will be held on selected weekend dates – the first being 23rd October 2010. A Sushi for Beginners Day Course will also be running in 2011. Simon will also be running Sushi events for private groups at Swinton Park and also demonstrating at the Alfresco Food Festival on 12th September 2010.
The course of the Guernsey Marathon – one of the 101 races to run before you die according to popular Run Abroad website – takes you along some of the island’s most picturesque roads and lanes. Sunday 29th August 2010 marks 101 years since the first Guernsey Marathon – but it is also 2500 years since that first marathon experience: it was in 490 BC that Athenian herald Pheidippides brought the news of the Greeks’ victory over the Persians at Marathon by running the 26 miles from the battlefield to Athens!
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group and The Fat Duck Group have joined forces to create Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Chef Heston Blumenthal’s first London restaurant which will open at the award-winning Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park on 1st December, 2010.
Blumenthal, of the three Michelin starred The Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire and The Hinds Head pub of the same village, has won international acclaim for his unique and multi-sensory approach to cooking. This first restaurant to open outside of the village of Bray will feature the chef’s inimitable style of culinary alchemy with a menu heavily influenced by his ongoing research and discovery of historic British gastronomy.
Focusing on the revival and modernization of traditional British recipes, the menu at this highly anticipated new restaurant will feature simple contemporary dishes inspired by Britain’s historic gastronomic past and recipes dating as far back as the 16th century, such as Scallops with Cucumber Ketchup and Peas, Bergamot cured Mackerel Salad and Slow Cooked Short Rib of Beef.
Mandarin Oriental and Heston Blumenthal are working together with the internationally renowned designer, Adam Tihany, to create the restaurant interior. Inspired by historical British style references and Blumenthal’s novel approach to cuisine, Tihany plans to highlight traditional materials such as wood, leather and iron, found in the historical roots of British style, using them in contemporary ways to reinforce Heston’s revival and modernization of traditional British recipes.
With uninterrupted views over Hyde Park, the restaurant will also feature floor to ceiling glass walls providing a glimpse into the open kitchen and an unusual contemporary stainless steel pulley system, which has been modelled on a 16th century design for the Royal British Court’s kitchens. A selection of 16th century British recipes taken from antique cookbooks will be on display in the bar area, and a private dining room will be available for up to 12 guests as well as a chef’s table for six located within the kitchen. During the summer months, a terrace overlooking Hyde Park will provide guests with one of London’s finest al fresco dining locations.
Seating 140 guests, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will serve lunch and dinner and from March 2011, afternoon tea. The kitchen will be headed by Ashley Palmer-Watts, group executive chef of the Fat Duck, who has worked with Blumenthal for ten years.
The etymology of the word ‘dinner’ gave rise to the name of the restaurant. In Britain, ‘dinner’ still means the main formal meal of the day, and it is usually served either in the middle of the day, or in the evening, depending on where you are in the British Isles. Originating from the 13th Century French word disner (pronounced dee-nay), dinner was in fact originally eaten at breakfast time. The rise of social and economic changes, including technical innovations such as gaslight and electricity, allowed for the timing of this main meal of the day to be eaten later in the day.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will be open from 12 noon to 2.30pm and from 6.30pm to 10.30pm.
Three course set lunch from £25
Three course a la carte dinner from £55
Reservations can be made from mid October.
Kids can try their hand at brass rubbing at Chichester Cathedral on 25th August 2010. Priced between £1 and £3 depending on the size of the brass rubbing, the drop-in activity morning can be combined with a free guided tour around the Cathedral, a walk in the landscaped Bishop’s Palace Gardens and even a special children’s trail.
Useful links:
Hotels in Chichester
B&Bs in Chichester
Self-catering in Chichester
The annual Arbroath Sea Fest (21st and 22nd August 2010) offers entertainment for all the family. The diverse programme varies from year to year but regular features include boat-dressing competitions, fishing displays, train displays and cookery demonstrations. Raft racing takes participants past the spectacular cliffs north of Arbroath. For those who enjoy a bit of retail therapy there is a wide range of stalls selling everything from fresh seafood to handmade jewellery, crafts and confectionery. The star of the show is undoubtedly the Arbroath Smokie (haddock smoked over hardwood) but past years have also seen trout specialities, suckling pig, venison and ostrich all available from the Smokie Trail, comprising 70-odd stalls along the harbour.
The night riders are back in town! Britain’s brightest cycle race gets back on the road in Newport, Shropshire, on Saturday 4th September 2010. It’s the return of the original and best floodlit bike race in the country, which only takes place every two years. About 14,000 spectators have lined the barriers for previous versions of the race.
It evolved from the classic Davies & Jeggo Motors Road Race, which brought all the top professionals to Newport for two decades. It was the British professional championship in its final three years as a long-distance event before promoter Michael Jeggo hit on the idea of putting it on as a Nocturne.
The riders snake through the little Shropshire market town under a combination of streetlights and industrial floodlighting brought in especially for the occasion. They power up the cobbled St Mary’s Street each lap, cheered by the most-knowledgeable crowd in cycling.
As well a free family entertainment and live music, the Newport Nocturne will also feature Olympic and world champions.
Useful links:
Telford Hotels
Telford B&Bs
Did you know that Leicester Square to Covent Garden is the most popular route for tourists on the London Underground? Aparently, though, it’s quicker to cover the distance on foot!
Useful links:
Leicester Square Attractions
Covent Garden Attractions
Following the release of Tim Burton’s film Alice in Wonderland to UK audiences, Antony House in Torpoint – where many of the scenes were filmed – is hosting a special Alice experience until the 31st October.
The experience will include art installations and sculptures spread throughout the gardens of Antony House along with the option to slide down the rabbit hole into a magic garden filled with giant mushrooms.
Other parts of the story have been included in the offering such as the caterpillar perched on a mushroom, the Cheshire Cat and of course Mad Hatter’s tea party, where Alice, the hatter, the White Rabbit and the Dormouse will lead children around the gardens.
For full details, contact the National Trust Antony House on 01752 812191.
Other useful links:
Visitor Attractions in Torpoint
Hotel accommodation in Torpoint
Self-catering in Torpoint
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